Longtime Broomfield resident, community supporter Dave Barber dies

Dave Barber, a resident of Broomfield before Broomfield became a city, died Sunday of an apparent heart attack. He was 62.

Perhaps most recognizable for the name tied to Barber's Poultry, which stood on 120th Avenue for years until it moved in 2008, Barber was a longtime member of the Broomfield Rotary Club and a fervent supporter of the community. He was a past member of the Broomfield Optimist Club and was active in youth sports, his son, Eric Barber, said.

The Barber family was in Broomfield before it was incorporated as a city in 1961, Eric Barber said. His dad, he said, "knew everybody in town and grew up as the city grew up."

Dave Barber loved being involved, Eric said, and was always willing to give his time or donate equipment to a worthy cause or effort. Beyond that, he always found the good in people, Eric Barber said.

Police Chief Tom Deland has similar memories of Barber. Deland had known Barber for more than 40 years, including the past 10 or so from involvement with the Broomfield Rotary Club.

"He was very involved in (Rotary) programs," Deland said, citing Barber's work on efforts such as the Police and Fire Golf Tournament that benefits wounded firefighters and officers and their families, and the Honoring Our Heroes dinner that benefits the Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum. "He was always one of the first to volunteer for any projects Rotary did."

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Beyond his heart for Rotary, Barber also had a heart for community, Deland said.

"Having known Dave for the last 40 years ... he cared a lot about the Broomfield community," he said. "... And he cared a lot about individuals."

Longtime resident Paul Derda, for whom the city rec center is named, also had known Barber for years. He credited the family's turkey business for helping to put Broomfield on the map, and had nothing but good things to say about Barber, adding "its is just a real loss, it breaks your heart."

Barber was a longtime fixture at the family poultry business, which was a fixture in Broomfield for decades.

Barber until his death was president of Barber's Poultry, which moved to Denver after selling its land on 120th Avenue to Walmart for the Supercenter that opened in May 2010. Before the sale, the company was focused on distribution and cold storage, but in its heyday was processing 1.2 million birds each year and employed around 200 people, Dave Barber said in a 2006 interview.

The company started with Barber's grandmother, Olive, who raised chickens in her yard during the Great Depression and slaughtered them to make ends meet. It's how the single mother managed to raise her sons, Richard and Russell, who would eventually bring the poultry business to Broomfield.

Barber is survived by his wife, Gloria, and five children and six grandchildren. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Rundus Funeral Home. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Broomfield United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, his family requests donations to the Broomfield Rotary Club. Mail donations to PO Box 332 Broomfield 80038.

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